Dubai’s Department of Economic Development (DED) has signed an agreement with Daimler AG to combat counterfeiting in auto parts, state news agency WAM reported.
Under the agreement, DED and the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles will work together to eliminate the use and sale of counterfeit auto parts and raise consumer awareness of intellectual-property rights.
“Daimler’s expertise along with DED’s interface with local businesses will help take our fight against counterfeiting to a new level,” said Abdulla Al Ka’abi, development and follow-up director at the commercial compliance and consumer protection (CCCP) sector of the DED.
Dr. Peter Stiefel, head of Daimler Global Brand Protection, said the German manufacturer will do all it can to clamp down on the use of counterfeits of its products.
“We take the protection of intellectual property very seriously and act against attempted plagiarism, which violates our technology, design or trademark rights, with all legal means available to us,” Stiefel said.
“We also find the increasing number of counterfeit products in the area of spare parts alarming.”
As part of the MoU, the DED will provide Daimler AG with receipts of counterfeit Mercedes-Benz spare parts confiscated in Dubai. The manufacturer will then trace the origins of the fake products and act accordingly.
This in turn will enable the department to expand the scope of the fight against non-genuine parts beyond Dubai and tackle the issue on an international level, Al Ka’abi added.
The government body and Daimler will also work on campaigns to educate consumers about the dangers of using fake spare parts, with Daimler providing annual training to field inspectors from the CCCP to help them distinguish between original and counterfeit parts.
